Production of oat bran functional probiotic beverage using Lactobacillus acidophilus

Physicochemical characteristics, viability of probiotic bacteria, and sensory specification were investigated during three weeks of refrigerated storage with various concentration of oat bran extract and carbon dioxide in orange flavor beverage. It was observed that the acidity of the beverage samples significantly increased by increasing the percentage of oat bran extract and carbon dioxide, while the Brix decreased. The viability of the bacteria was significantly enhanced by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide and oat bran extract concentration until the 14th day after fermentation. The viability extremely decreased with increasing the storage time to 21 days. Oat bran is a rich source of nutrients including carbohydrates, protein, minerals, vitamins and soluble β-glucan. The use of oat bran as a profitable substrate to produce a non-dairy orange flavor probiotic beverage was examined. Due to high viability of the Lactobacillus acidophilus after two weeks of storage at 4 °C, the formulation was characterized with 15percent (w/v) oat bran extract and 1percent carbon dioxide. The highest sensory score was obtained by 10percent (w/v) oat bran extract and 0.5percent carbon dioxide sample. Therefore, incorporation of the oat bran in formulated orange flavor probiotic could enhance the nutritional value of the beverage.